Paint roller with guard

ABSTRACT

A NON-SMEARING GUARD FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE RESPECTIVE ENDS OF AN AXLE AND A COMPLEMENTAL FREE TURNING AXLE-SUPPORTED STRIPPING PAINT ROLLER. THIS ATTACHMENT COMPRISES AN ELONGATED PROTECTIVELY COATED PALE PRESCRIBED SIZE AND SHAPE THE MEDIAN PORTION OF THE INWARD ATTACHABLE SIDE OF WHICH IS DETACHABLY AND   ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ON A POCKET BUT ACCESSIBLE END OF THE AXLE. EQUIPPED THIS GUARD THE ROLLER CAN BE GUIDINGLY PUSH-PULLED ALONG A SIDE WALL SURFACE PROXIMAL TO THE CEILING WITHOUT SMEARING PAINT ON THE CEILING.

Nov. 3o, 1971 R L, ANDERSON 3,623,180

PAINT ROLLER WITH GUARD Filed 001;. 31, 1969 Har/zonfa/ Wa/l 23 I Verf/'cal `I..I...'......."'.......... I

Raben L Anderson INI/IiNTOR. @www A llornrjx United States Patent O 3,623,180 PAINT ROLLER WITH GUARD Robert L. Anderson, Great Falls, Mont., assignor of a fractional part interest to James R. Paul, Great Falls,

Mont.

Filed Oct. 31, 1969, Ser. No. 872,996 Int. Cl. B44d 3/28 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A nonsmearing guard for attachment to the respective outward ends of an axle and a complemental free turning axle-supported striping-type paint roller. This attachment comprises an elongated protectively coated platel of prescribed size and shape the median portion of the inward attachable side of which is detachably and adjustably mounted on a pocket enclosed but accessible end of the axle. Equipped with this guard the roller can be guidingly push-pulled along a side wall surface proximal to the ceiling without smearing paint on the ceiling.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in paint conning non-smearing paint guards which are mounted for use on an end of free turning paint applying and spreading rollers and which lend themselves to use when rolling paint on an upper marginal portion of a side wall contiguous to a junctional surface portion of a right angularly disposed ceiling or an equivalent surface and has to do, more particularly, with a simplified guard which is readily attachable to and detachable from the roller supporting axle.

For background purposes yit may well be pointed out at the outset that end guides and guards for paint applicator rollers are not new. Although several prior patents could be here cited as exemplary art it will suliice, it is submitted, to mention one, that is the paint roller guide plate disclosed in a patent to George T. Glacken 2,763,022 of Sept. 18, 1956.

An object of the present invention, broadly stated, is to improve upon Pat. 2,763,022 and similarly performing splatter minimizing guards and shields and, in doing so, to provide an adaptation which enables the user to cut in as close as could be accomplished with the skillful handling and use of a striping brush.

Briefly the herein disclosed attachment lends itself to feasible and practical use on a terminal end of the usual roller-equipped axle of a conventional striping-type paint applicator roller wherein, for example, the terminal end of the axle is pocketed, as is usual, in a recess at the outer end of the roller and wherein a minimal portion of the axle projects into said recess for readily available use. The guard, stated generally, is characterized by an elongated blade or plate which constitutes a satisfactory surface abutting and shielding guard. The plate can be made of tlhin pliant protectively coated sheet material, for example, spring steel. At least one longitudinal edge of the plate is straight and provides a wall contacting and tracking guide. Means is provided for detachably and adjustably mounting a median portion of an inward surface of the plate on the terminal end of the axle.

More specifically, the attachment comprises a plate which is preferably but not necessarily of elongated ovate form, is irnperforate, has a perfectly smooth and fiat surface which glides along the ceiling or other surface contacted thereby. The inward surface is operatively mounted by quick separable and connectable snap fasteners one of which is fastened on the terminal end of the axle and the other one riveted or otherwise fastened on a coacting median part of the inner surface of the plate.

-It is Within the purview of the inventive concept, as

3,623,180 Patented Nov. 30, 1971 will be hereinafter more fully appreciated, to provide a plate which is proportional in size and shape to the roller with which it is used and which is wholly coated with stain resisting liber glass, the respective ends of the plate being inwardly laterally bent and providing means which functions to ride over wall cracks and irregularities.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. l is a view in perspective showing a fragmentary portion of a vertical `side wall, a right angularly disposed portion of a lhorizontal wall l(ceiling) and showing, what is more significant, the paint guard and how it is attached to an outward end of the roller and is used to achieve the desired result.

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale and which is here described as a top plan with a portion of the frame broken away and a portion of the protective coating at one end of the guard removed to show the coacting end portion of the plate.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view in section and elevation taken on the plane of the vertical section line 3 3 of FIG. l looking in the direction of the indicating arrows.

FIG. 4 is a view on a relatively small scale showing a paint containing pan with a portion of one wall broken away and also showing how the guard is manually switched or adjusted to an up out-of-the-way position to facilitate the step of dipping the then unobstructed segmental portion of the roller in the paint.

And FIG. 5 is an exploded fragmentary perspective View showing an end portion of the conventional roller, the male snap fastener, and the attachable and detachable as Well as adjustable guard which is modified here in that the respective end portions are laterally bent into parallel coacting relationship.

The paint roller, as will be evident from the views of the drawing, is in and of itself a more or less lconventional type. This is to say it is characterized, generally stated, by a rod which is fashioned into a frame 8 having a longitudinal straight portion 10 which constitutes a shank and on the end of which an appropriate handle or handgrip 12 is lixedly mounted. An offset bend or bent portion at the left in FIG. l is denoted at 14 and is joined with a right angularly disposed portion which constitutes a shaft or axle 16 on which the roller is mounted for free rotation, the roller being denoted at 18. It should be pointed out that the roller proper is denoted in FIG. 3 at 20 and the covering at 22. This roller is provided, as usual, at its ends with closing heads 23 having sleeve-like bearings 24 mounted for rotation on the axle. Advantage is taken of the fact that the recessed portion 26 of the top closing head 23 (FIG. 3) is taken to accommodate the attachment. All that has to be done to adapt the roller to accommodate the non-smearing guard 28 is to bore or drill an axial socket 30 in the accessible end portion of the axle and to thread it to accommodate a head attaching and mounting screw 32.

Before discussing the purpose of the screw 32 with further particularity it seems desirable to direct attention first to the attachable and detachable as well as adjustable guard 28 (FIG. 4). To this end, the guard comprises a substantially ovate spring steel or an equivalent flexible and resilient plate or blade. In actual practice the plate 33 is approximately 1%,2 inch in thickness. It should be noted that the plate is completely enclosed and protectively covered by properly applied fiber glass 34.

It will be further noted that the thus covered pliant plate is proportional with the diameter of the roller 18. This is to say it is of a length greater than the diameter of the roller so that the respective end portions 36 project prerequisite distances beyond the surface of the roller. Then, too, the plate is also of a width less than the cross- Sectional dimension of the roller so that when it is properly snapped in place, it can be bodily switched or adjustably turned from the normal in use position shown in FIGS. 1-3 to the out-of-the-way or elevated position shown in FIG. 4. When in the position shown in FIG. 4 a segmental or peripheral portion of the roller is fully exposed so that the user can dip the roller in the paint in the manner illustrated without interference from the attached guard. For best results the point of attachment of the guard to the shaft or axle is slightly off-center as brought out in the views of the drawing.

At least one longitudinal marginal edge of the covered plate is straight from end to end to provide a guide edge 38. The respective transverse ends are rounded. The other longitudinal marginal edge 39 can be curved as shown. It is within the purview of the inventive concept to employ a covered plate or blade which is perfectly fiat on both sides. Also, and as brought out in FIG. 5, it may be desirable to bend the respective rounded ends of the plate as at 40 to provide spaced parallel bent ends 42 which as experience has shown greatly assists in gliding the plate along the wall surface and to prevent hanging of the plate if and when encountering uneven cracks or undulations or irregularities in the wall surface (not shown).

Both types of guard plates are mounted on the socketed end portions of the axle 16, that is the portion 30, in the manner shown. To accomplish this result end snap fasteners are employed. A male snap fastener 44 is capped over the terminal end of the shaft 16 and is held in place by the aforementioned screw 32 (FIGS. 3 and 5). Thus mounted the snap fastener 44 serves to accommodate a female snap fastener 46 of prescribed size and locale and which is riveted as at 48 or otherwise securely mounted offcenter on the inner side of the plate as brought out in FIGS. 3 and 5 in particular. It follows that by merely equipping the terminal accessible and available end of the axle 'with a snap fastener 44 the roller is then properly usable for mounting the readily attachable and detachable guard plate for use. The normal and usable position of the guard plate is that illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The out-of-the-way position of the guard i-s illustrated in FIG. 4. Accordingly, the snap fastener means serves to apply and retain the guard and yet permits it to be pivoted or switch to an Iup position as illustrated in FIG. 4 to prevent the guard from interfering with the roller dipping step.

It will be evident from the disclosure that the guard is designed so that it can be turned up without removing whereby to 4save time. The guard is made of spring steel of requisite fine gauge thickness which is completely enclosed in fiber glass or equivalent stain resisting material. Designed in this manner, the paint will cut in as close as could be achieved with a stripping brush (not shown).

The construction and means for securely mounting the roller on the accessible recessed end of the axle is simple and unique. In fact most manufacturers will find that this guard lends itself to acceptable use on any standard roller by drilling a 1A; inch hole in the axle to accommodate a metal screw. Experience has shown that the guard is strong, durable, Ilong lasting and will well serve the purposes for which it has been devised and perfected. The projecting end portions of the guard check the movement of the guard-equipped roller when an oncoming vertical side wall is reached. In fact the dead-end of corners is the only place where a striping brush has to be used involving, as it does, a minimum one inch by one inch spot or area (not illustrated).

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modiiications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be restorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a roller mounting and handling frame unit embodying a shank having an inward end portion provided with a fixed handgrip, an outward end portion having an axle disposed at right angles to the axis of said shank, a paint applicator roller having axial hub means mounted for free rotation on said axle, a roller guard having a smooth fiat outward surface which is adapted to abut and ride flatwise along a wall surface, a ceiling for example, which is disposed in a plane at right angles to the plane of the wall surface which is traversed by the roller, and means detachably and rotatably mounting a median portion of the inward surface of said guard on a coacting terminal end of said axle, said guard comprising an elongated fiat-faced plate having at least one straight ledge providing a guiding edge, said plate being made of spring steel, said plate being completely encased in a conformable fiber glass jacket.

2. The combination defined and in according to claim 1, and wherein said plate is of a length greater than the diameter of said roller whereby the respective terminal ends project beyond diametrically opposite peripheral surface portions of said roller, and also being of a width significantly less than the diameter of said roller so that the user can manually adjust the plate to assume an outof-the-way position when clipping an uncovered segmental portion of a roller immersing paint containing pan.

3. The combination defined in and according t0 claim 1, and wherein said plate is imperforate, is substantially ovate in plan and has laterally inwardly bent spaced parallel terminal ends which facilitate sliding the contacting surface of said jacket over uneven edges of wall cracks and similar flaws.

4. For use on a terminal end of the usual rollerequipped axle of a conventional striping-type paint applying roller wherein said terminal end is wholly pocketed in a recess which is provided therefor but is accessible and readily available for use; an elongated plate constituting an optionally usable attachment-type surface abutting and shielding guard, and a pair of male and female snap fasteners, one of which is caplike and is adapted to be fittingly capped over and axially but detachably secured to said terminal end, and the other one of which is fixed offcenter and proximal to a predetermined median portion of an inward surface of said plate in a manner whereby to permit said plate to be detachably, rotatably and operatively mounted for serviceable use at one end of said roller, said plate being made of protectively coated sheet material, and having at least one longitudinal straight edge providing a side wall surface tracking guide, said plate being of a length greater than the diameter of said roller whereby the respective terminal ends project beyond diametrically opposite peripheral surface portions of said roller, and also being of a width significantly less than the diameter of said roller so that the user can manually adjust the plate to assume an out-of-the-way position when dipping an uncovered segmental portion of a roller immersing paint containing pan, said plate being imperforate, substantially ovate in plan and having laterally inwardly bent spaced parallel terminal ends which facilitate sliding ghe plate over uneven edges of wall cracks and similar aws.

5. For use on a terminal end of a roller-equipped axle of a conventional striping-type paint-applying roller wherein said terminal end is wholly pocketed in a recess which is provided therefor and is accessible for readily available use; a first male-type snap fastener, said snap fastener `being cap-like in construction and being ttingly capped over said terminal end, axially and detachably secured by an applicable and removable accessible headed fastener to said terminal end and being positioned Within the encompassing confines of said recess, an elongated substantially ovate plate constituting an optionally usable attachment-type wall surface abutting and shielding guard, said plate having one longitudinal marginal edge which is straight from end to end, and which provides a side wall tracking guide and a second longitudinal marginal edge which is arcuately curved from end to end, said plate being of a length greater than the diameter of said roller so that the respective terminal ends of the plate project beyond the diametrically opposite peripheral surface portions of said roller, and also being of a width significantly less than the diameter of said roller so that the user can manually adjust the plate to assume an out-of-the-way position vwhendipping an uncovered segmental portion of the roller in paint contained in said pan, and a second female-type snap fastener xedly secured oicenter and proximal to a predetermined median portion of an inward surface of said plate in a manner which permits said plate 6 to be detachably, rotatably and operatively mounted for serviceable use on said first male-type snap fastener.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,213,977 l/1917 Thompson 118-504 1,507,774 9/ 1924 Hill 118-504 2,644,186 7/1953 Guimond 15-248.1 R 2,763,022 9/ 1956 Glacken 15-248.1 2,836,840 6/1958 Pratt 15-248.1 X 3,061,861 11/1962 Hartmann 15-223 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,023,705 1/1958 'Germany 15-248.1 883,328 v11/1961 Great Britain 118--504 DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. l5248 

